Hot Chocolate 5K: My First “Race” Back

I am a planner! And I like races! Which means that I am registered for races months in advance of them actually taking place. When I registered for the Hot Chocolate 15K back in October I never thought there would be a reason I wouldn’t be able to do it. (Well, I knew a there could be ton of reasons why I may not be able to participate in the race but none include a traumatic brain injury.) So when I saw that the race was fast approaching I asked my physical therapist if it was an option to participate. After some discussion, we both determined that if I changed distances to the 5K, I could do it! So I switch distances to the Hot Chocolate 5K!

Finding out that I could participate made me so excited! Then I realized that it might not be a good idea for me to participate, since I can get swept up in the excitement and push myself harder than I should or really can. So I decided to hire myself a babysitter! I asked my good friend Missy (yes, I know we have the same name) if I paid for her to registration would she be willing to do the race with me to ensure I follow the physical therapists directions. She said yes, as long as we walked it (she isn’t a runner) and that worked because that was the only way the therapist would allow me to do it. And bonus, Missy’s condo was feet from the start of the race!

On the morning of the race, I met Missy about 15 minutes before the start. There was no need to rush since we were so close to the start. I was assigned to corral B and Missy was assigned to E, I dropped back to her corral to keep me from going to fast. Well, that was a mistake! We should have dropped back even further, probably like K, because we ended up running further than I thought we would at the start. My heart rate got really high after about half mile so we stepped off the course and let the other from the corral pass.

I was able to get a quick selfie right before we crossed the start line.

We had a great time chatting and enjoying the chocolate at the water stops. And I was excited to see that the water stops had nuun hydration! As we made out way through St. Anthony Main I was very careful to pay attention to my footing because the street is cobblestone and I was very worried about falling. We were close to the finish when I started to get dizzy, so dizzy that I had to stop for a moment. After about a minute we were able to continue on.

We got to the finish line and I have to say I was disappointed because it was it took us just over 57 minutes to finish the race. I didn’t think we would be super fast but I was hoping for closer to 50 minute. Now with that said, I am happy I got to complete it and that I had very few issues while doing it.

I finished my first race since sustaining a traumatic brain injury on February 2nd!

Obviously, the best part of the Hot Chocolate race series is the chocolate! After crossing the finish we made our way over to the finisher mug and all its goodness! I loved every bit of it except the actual hot chocolate (it was like 70+ degrees, not hot chocolate weather). After finishing up all our goodness we headed back toward her condo and my car. After thanking Missy for her wonderful job of babysitting we split ways.

On the walk to my car I thought about the day and the progress I have made over the last few week. Not all that long ago I really question if I would be doing any races any time soon. Completing the “race” helped me to realize I am on my way and I will hopefully be back out there running races sooner than later. It was fun to do the Hot Chocolate 5K but next year my sights will be set on the Hot Chocolate 15K.

Hello! My name is Missy, and I am the blogger behind Getting Fit to Find Myself. I live in the Twin Cities (Minnesota) with my fiancé, Justin, and my dog, Baylee. This blog came out of a want, I wanted a place to talk about how my fitness and weight loss journeys have helped shape who I am today. Read More…